Alumni tell success stories to students

They recount college and jobs after Nazareth Area High.

Barry Pritchard, a 1976 Nazareth Area High School graduate, developed the technology behind the dispensing valve of wine boxes, one of several patents he helped secure.

Pritchard was one of six Nazareth graduates who addressed the school's juniors and seniors Tuesday.

It's the third straight year graduates have returned to speak at their alma mater. Sponsored by the Nazareth Rotary Club, the Vocational Awareness Program aims to aid students who will soon decide about college and a career.

An average student in high school, Pritchard is director of packaging at Fres-co System USA of Telford. Among his creations: the development of the first FDA-approved packaged, sterilized food.

"Take advantage of what is offered to you here at Nazareth," Pritchard told students.

He graduated from Millersville College in 1981. Originally a sociology major, he had planned to become a police officer. He changed his course during a summer job as a design draftsman after his freshman year. He never left the field.

For 1980 graduate James Shiffert, dropping out of West Point in his freshman year signaled the beginning of a successful career in sales. He chose the school at his parents' wishes, he said. After deciding it wasn't for him, he enrolled at Moravian College. He graduated with a degree in accounting. While looking for permanent employment, Shiffert worked briefly with his brother in construction. Students laughed as he recounted that short-lived career, during which he was struck by